This brief guide is designed to assist new or existing
suppliers in meeting our requirements for trouble-free shipments to Chichester,
Inc.

Quality Control

We reply on you to ensure very
high levels of quality control in your shipment. The goods must match the
specifications.

Pictures by E-mail or Website
where Possible

If possible, send us pictures by
e-mail of what
you expect to ship. Ideally, take
multiple photographs of an item so we can see the item from a variety
of angles. Anything you can do to avoid
or reduce confusion and misunderstanding will help make for a good long-term business
relationship.

Proper Documentation

We rely on you to obtain any
required permits. Please ensure that these permits are properly
completed. We had one shipment of ostrich eggs from South Africa that were
almost siezed and destroyed because the supplier failed to put the type of
disinfectant used to clean the eggs.

For
example, agricultural permits for various products and CITES (the Contention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna) permits are often
required for some skins, hides, furs, and flowers or woods. Make sure that these
documents are completed accurately and fully.

Review all documents prior to sending the shipment
to ensure that everything moves smoothly.

Frequent and Accurate Communication

Stay in touch with us. Don't
keep us guessing about what is going on. Send frequent e-mails and
faxes. We want to review all pro-forma invoices prior to your sending the
shipment.

Timely Invoicing

We have had shipments arrive and clear customs
before we even have seen a copy of the invoice. I am baffled why exporters
are not in a hurry to invoice for merchandise shipped. The invoice should
be faxed the moment the goods are ready to go.

Make sure to invoice at the price agreed upon at
the time of the order.

Send us a full document set once
the shipment leaves.

Invoice in English

We require that all invoices be
prepared in English. Failure to meet this requirement may result in delays
and charges that will be posted to your account.

Banking Information

Include banking information with your invoice so
the customer knows where to the payment.

Insurance

Please insure all merchandise being
shipped to us. Often the cost is quite low.

Proper Country of Origin Markings

Very few exporters anywhere in the world
understand the significance of Country of Origin markings. The U.S. in
particular is very fussy about informing its consumers about where products
originate. You may think this is silly, but U.S. Customs is very strict
about this type of labeling. Most knowledgeable importers in the U.S. and
Canada specify the type of Country of Origin markings when placing orders with
suppliers overseas. If U.S. Customs inspects the shipment and the origin
markings are insufficient or absent, they can either seize the shipment, fine
the importer, or insist that all products are marked properly in a bonded
warehouse by semi-literate staff who will be billed out at US$45.00 per hour or
more. The cost of having a shipment sitting in a bonded warehouse can be
frighteningly high. The customer may have to pay US$10.00 to US$20.00 per
skid per day while the goods are tied up. The merchandise will have be
unpacked, marked, and re-packed.

To add insult to injury, U.S. Customs will now
place the importer on a watch list and start monitoring his shipments from
countries around the world.

Your failure to comply with our
request for proper country of origin markings can result in hundreds if not
thousands of dollars in charges and considerable on-going bureaucratic hassles
for him.

Mark the products. Try to do so in the
least destructive way possible. For many items, attach a hang tag with the
words Made in South Africa stamped on the tag. For hides and skins, the
markings must be in ink, ideally near the corner of the skin. Metal
products must have the country of origin markings stamped into them. If in doubt, check with
the customer for instructions on how to do this properly.

Timely Delivery

If you commit to a certain time frame for sending
a shipment, meet the deadlines or inform the customer to let him know that there
is a problem. In many cases, if shipments are too late, the customer will
miss his selling season. Do not be surprised if the customer refuses the
shipment or offers only partial payment in order to accept a late shipment.

Accurate Invoices, Packing Lists, and Permits

I am surprised at how many suppliers do not know
what a proper commercial invoice looks like. Each invoice should have the
words Commercial Invoice across the top, full contact information for the
supplier and customer (company name, contact person, address, phone number, fax
number, e-mail address), a full description of the product, the quantity of each
item, the unit cost, the extended cost, the currency being used, an invoice
number, date, the country of origin, etc. If in doubt, ask your customer
what information he requires on the invoice.

The packing list should have the full contact
information for the supplier and customer, the date, and a list of contents for
each box or package. The packing list should make it very easy to identify
which box contains which item. This is crucial for the customer to check
in the merchandise when it arrives as well as for U.S. Customs or other
government agencies to locate merchandise that they wish to inspect.

Accurate Counts

I continue to amazed at how many suppliers get
the counts wrong on merchandise they ship to us. Double check your
counts. Suppliers are not pleased when they are charged for merchandise
that was never shipped. In the case of overages, U.S. Customs will assume
that you are trying to evade duties. This is not a good situation.

No Surprises

Never send anything in a shipment that is not
documented on the packing list, invoice, and export certificates or
permits. I have heard stories of U.S. customers who order products and get
surprises such as a lion's skull thrown in with other animal skins and not
declared. Never include free samples without including them on the
invoice. The customer should never open a box and find something that was
not declared. If U.S. Customs or Canadian Customs opens the shipment and
discovers undeclared items, they can seize the shipment. This is not good
for your ongoing business or chance of getting paid.

Good Packaging

Work to avoid breakage. It doesn't make
sense to pay hundreds of dollars to ship something that gets broken in transit.

Labeling of Boxes with Contents

Label each box with its markings and a list of
its contents. There is nothing like getting 50 boxes of stuff and trying
to determine what is in each box.

If you have specific questions or if
I can be of service, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail at info@chichesterinc.com.
Please make sure to have a clear title line on your e-mail (such as Question
about exporting to the USA) so your e-mail does not get accidentally deleted as
spam. The more information you can provide on what it is that you are
trying to do, the better I can help you.